James and Oliver Phelps Harry Potter Interviews!

SURPRISE: Harry Potter Post-Holiday Present!If you’re wishing for one extra gift for the holidays, sorry, I can’t help you. But if you’re wishing for TWO extra holiday gifts, you got it! Because our own Marie Morreale traveled to London to the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I for exclusive cast interviews, and this week we’re bringing you not ONE, but TWO Weasley twins. So get comfy, snuggle up with your computer, and enjoy the chat with James and Oliver Phelps, aka Fred and George Weasley.

Q: Can you tell us how you got the roles for Harry Potter?
James: Our friend had seen the advert in the paper. We’d never done any acting or anything so Mum came into our room and said, “You fancy it? It’s there if you want to.”[Ratha: I love how those Brits talk!]
It’s like near the end of school term and she says, “Unfortunately it’s a Wednesday. So that would mean you’re going to have to take a day off of school.” So we were like, “Oh, Gosh no!”Oliver: Any fourteen-year-old would probably say the same thing. So we go to this audition and they’re auditioning for every single part in the film. There’s probably three thousand people there going for different parts. And I’ve never seen so many people with glasses with just frames, no lenses or anything. Kids walking around with lipstick lightning bolts on their head!James: There were loads of guys there with huge portfolios from the acting schools and everything, and we turned up with nothing. We didn’t even have shirts that matched because we never ever wore the same thing, apart from our school uniform.[Ratha: In England, many schools require a uniform. Usually it's a polo shirt/sweater, and trousers/skirts/shorts. I also had to wear a uniform when I was in grade school, and let me tell you, it cut way down on clothing expenses at the mall!]
So we quickly legged it over to the nearest department store and just grabbed two shirts off the rail. Then we waited for two-and-a-half hours and eventually met the main casting director. Then six or seven auditions and screen tests later, we got the parts. And that was nine years ago.[Ratha: Boy does time fly.]

Q: How many other sets of twins auditioning were there?
Oliver: We saw about five but I’m sure there was more. And the two guys who came out as we were going in, Si and Chris, actually turned out to be our doubles on the first film and we still keep in contact to this day. It’s quite nice. Being our first audition, we didn’t know how it worked, so we didn’t have anything to get nervous about. And we always went with this attitude, “Well if this doesn’t work out, I’m not going to see these people again. Why should I care?” I think that kind of carried over into the characters, how they are.

Q: In the films you guys speak in unison. Does that ever happen in real life?
James: It kind of came across because of that. In the films that happened because Oliver said something and I just cut him up to carry on pretty much exactly what he was saying. And Alfonso [the director of Prisoner of Azkaban] said, “I like that. Let’s put it in.” So he literally got the script, crossed a load out and mixed it all up and it came from there. So I guess we do. I don’t know why. Probably been around each other too much.[Ratha: Any twins reading this? Does this happen with you too? Let us know in the Comments!]

Q: Have you managed to take any of the props as souvenirs?
Oliver: A few may have found their way into my bag. We were on tour for the Half-Blood Prince and I was going through one airport. I took my laptop out of my bag and I found a puking pastie. And the [security] dude who was working was like, “What’s that?” And I was like, “. . . puking pastie?” And he says, “What does that do?” “It makes you sick.” “Why have you got that?” And I said, “You’re not gonna believe me if I told you.”[Ratha: What I wouldn't do for a pair of extendable ears. . .]

Q: In which situation is it most obvious that Oliver is thirteen minutes older?
Oliver: I’m probably a bit more sensible than James!

Q: During the years you’ve both had different haircuts. Which ones did you like most?
Oliver: It was kind of an accident, how they got longer and longer, between the third and fourth film. And when we finished filming I actually kept it even longer than that. Looking back at the photos now I think how did I think that looked good? But at the time, maybe I thought I looked cool.[Ratha: I can relate. In 8th grade, I used to curl my bangs with a curling iron every morning, then spray them with a half can of Rave hairspray until they looked perfectly immobile and fabulous standing 2 inches above my head. NOT!] Oliver: Our natural hair color is brown, and they had to dye it back [red] recently and it took four or five hours to get the color back to match the continuity of the film. So I think I’ll be quite glad when I’m not having a load of dye put in every three weeks or so.[Ratha: That's what Tom Felton [Draco Malfoy] said about dying HIS hair blond for the Harry Potter movies.]

Q: Can you tell us any secrets about some of the stars in the film?
Oliver: [laughs] I think Rupert’s [Rupert Grint who plays Ron Weasley] math skills are something to be desired, especially if you’re playing him at a sport. We play a lot of golf and table tennis, and it’s amazing when you finish playing a hole of golf. “It was six Rupe.” And he’ll say, “No it was a four. It was a four!” And he’ll start inventing new rules like, “Oh I’m allowed to throw off the tee on every nine holes,” or something.James: Alan Rickman [who plays Severus Snape] his deep voice and everything and the kind of character he plays, you’re quite intimidated. But he’s such an outgoing and funny guy!

Q: Which movie was your favorite to work on?
James: I’d have to say Goblet of Fire. Oliver and I were always the oldest out of the junior cast, but at that time there were guys our age there. It just so happens Rob Pattinson was in it, who has now gone on to do Twilight (rated PG-13).[Ratha: From Cedric Diggory to Edward – not a bad move!] Oliver: I didn’t realize how big Rob was until we came to America and I’d say eighty percent of the magazines on there have his face on the cover.James: It’s quite surreal for us because Rob’s a mate we know from here.Oliver: We can remember going through the pub in London with him, and no one would say a word to us![Ratha: Wow – these talented British actors hang together – how cool! I know she's not British, but I wonder if Kristin Stewart and Emma Watson would ever hang out?]

Q: Would you like to keep acting?
Oliver: I’d like to yeah. I’d like to definitely give it a go for a while any way. We kind of learned from a who’s-who of British TV and film.James: As Robbie Coltrane said to us on the first movie, “This is like having a Rolls Royce for your first car.” So you’re never gonna get better than this.

Well I’m not sure about that. I think James and Oliver would be fab in their own movie someday. Or maybe they could have a Weasley Brothers spin-off. Could be a twisted comedy. Hmm. . .

Hope you enjoyed the interview! Let us know in the Comments. Bye for now!

I have an identical twin sister who is a minute older than I am, and I will admit that we do have a tendency to talk at the same time and/or finish each others sentences, but I think it’s more a matter of how often you’re around someone, not whether or not you’re a twin.

I’m a twin and my sister and I absolutely LOVE the weasley twins! We actually call each other “Gred and Feorge” like they sometimes do in the books. James and Oliver Phelps do an amazing job in the films and this was an awesome interview!

Awesome~ They must cringe every time they see hair dye now xDD
I’m not a twin but I frequently finish my brother’s sentences and say things at the same time. Also happens quite a bit with my best friend and recently with a friend who is my “twin” at uni xD
Guess it just happens when you’re around a person for a long time xD

I LOVE the Phelps twins so yeah this was a great interview. I would love to be in a movie with them which is probably why I’m writing a book…. And I haven’t gone to acting school either but I’m believable. Just like them!

Man, I love these guys! Fred and George are the BEST characters in the books and James & Oliver Phelps do a GREAT job with them! To be honest, they deserved a lot more screen time than they got in the 6th movie.

i have 2 things to say
1. i love the weasly twins. they had to be my favorite char. in the book. i was so sad when one of them died.
2. there is no way emma would hang out with kristen. dont get me wrong i loved the twilight books. but i don’t like kristen.

i think the world should go green because our world right now is very unhealthy.so it is important that we do things that will help the inviroment and not destry it. Join the fight to help save the planet.

every thing on this website because it is fun to come to and it has a lot of fun things to do and stuff you could make a person and you can play really fun games and you can post comments and post your favorite thing and add you favorite stuff to your profile it is just so awesome!!!!!??!!!

Fred and George are HILARIOUS! They are the best characters ever! James and Oliver Phelps do an awesome job portraying them, the acting is right up there with Alan Rickman as Snape, Dame Maggie Smith as McGonagall and Emma Watson as Hermione. Fred and George would have been proud of the Puking Pastille story…

I love fred and George.so funny!Yes most potter fans hate twilight.its funny bc all my friends are like twilight!!then you have me the odd ball yelling Harry Potter.and when I went to see New moon my friends were like Ah Edward Cullen and I was Ah Cedric Diggory:pbut really these twins are amazing!!

This was very funny ~ and for some reason up until now, I thought that Rupert, Oliver and James were all related! *Bangs head* I must remember that’s not it.
Thanks for the interview, very interesting!

Oh,and by the way. Emma Watson would never hang out with Kristen Stewart…Emma’s way better!
Also,it’s so cool how in the movies,Fred and George talk at the same time. How Rupert is bad at math,wow,I know how he feels!

My sistger and I are twins.. so usually happens we talk at the same time.. but what its most common and really weird is when i start singing a song and she was thinking it on the same part!
we just look at each other and laugh
fred is one of my favorites!!

Grat interview, but you don’t have to be twins to finish each others thoughts. My sister and I do it all the time, and I am 13 years older then her. It always makes people comment about it. Any word on where the final battle will be held. I heard it will be at the Weasley house.

i am a triplet and i sometimes talk at the same time with my sisters and its either becuase we all happen to say the samething the same way or good timeing haha. Also you live with them almost every minute of every day so you get to now how they think

Yup, that’s DEFINITELY a twin thing! My sister and I are used to finishing each other’s sentences with the exact thought the other had in mind, as well as speaking at the same time. And sometimes it’s not just out of context that we’re saying the same thing–sometimes it’s entirely random and surprises even us! (Which always provides a good laugh! XD)
Anyway, thanks for this article! It’s always nice to hear more about the Weasley twins! The Phelps brothers are really admirable and so humble. Glad to read this! ^__^

Not EVERY school in the UK requires you wear a uniform!! Have you even been to the UK, cos it doesn’t sound like it?
I think making them talk in synch sounds really contrived and wooden, I know identical twins and they have their own personalities and while they might finish each other’s sentences every now and then they don’t know to the letter what the other will say so they can say it at immediately the same time, it sounds so fake.
I hate when they change quotes into a foreign dialect, the twins wouldn’t say ‘Mom’, they’d say ‘Mum’ just like over here we wouldn’t expect US folk to do it vice versa.

I love the weasley twins so much! they make me wish I had a twin! they’re so hilarious, Im a lot like them (if i do say so myself:) i wish they got more screen time too. they only showed up a bit in the 6th movie (which made me sad), and they cut their hair short. *Sigh* i like it better longer, like in the 3rd. their hair looks the best their, and thats my favorite one that they’re in.
Go WEASLEY TWINS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fred and George rock!!!!!! good luck oliver and james in future movies!
P.S. I was totally devastated when fred died, and also the jokes that fred and george made about george missing an ear were so funny! loved them!
“I feel saintly. HOLEY. Get it? HOLEY!”

Loved the interview! But i don’t think that the two main girls of the two most popular books would ever hang out. Emma and Kristin, geez i can see some serious conflict.
haha lol.
but that’s just me. i’m not a Twilight fan.

I started reading Harry Potter when I was six. I think I’ve read them all ten or so times. Every time I read DH, I cry when Fred dies… The Phelps twins are such amazing actors. I love the scene in the sixth movie where they tell Ron he has to pay MORE for being their brother.

I have read a lot of interviews in my time, and I could have done without the interviewer’s green colored inputs. Not to step on any toes, but from a writer’s standpoint, just let the questions be answered and that would suffice.

I’m a twin and yes, it does happen, not too often but I can recall a few times that it did. If we’re talking to someone at the same time or they as us both a question we sometimes reply at the same time.

It’s not just twins who finish each other’s sentences! My sister and I are seventeen months apart and we do it all the time. Other times, we’re sitting in complete silence and then we say the same thing at the exact same time. It’s a bit creepy, but I really think it is just living together for too long.

Wow, that was insightful information. I just want to say to Oliver and James that you guys play my favorite people in the books, and you do an awesome job at it. Keep it up and if you ever do another movie besides Harry Potter i’ll be sure to watch it.

Thanks for this interview! Fred and George are my favorite Potter characters, and the Phelps twins have done a terrific job with them in the films. Only wish they’d have gotten more screen time, especially in Half Blood Prince.

Me and my bro usually do that talking in the sometime thing or we finish each others sentences, but its weird cause you just get a urge to say whatever it is and it turned out to be the thing he was going to say. Oh and yeah I’m a Twin.

These two guys are my favorite characters on the Harry Potter films… particularly the goblet of fire. I think it’d be awesome for them to have a spinoff of their own, but I’d have to say, if Fred dies, how will there be a spinoff…?

Cool! I’m re-reading Harry Potter (Nearly eleven, as five was too scary the first time, I’m going to try again!). You know, I look like Emma Watson did when she was a kid according to a website. But my hair got darker. And shorter!